As 48-Foot Yacht Goes Up in Flames, Good Samaritan Moves Quickly to Rescue 7 Aboard
Courage took action on the Hudson River Saturday afternoon when seven souls were rescued as their yacht went up in flames.
According to NJ.com, “The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating the cause of a fire that sank a 48-foot yacht in the Hudson River on Saturday afternoon.”
A fellow boater became a Good Samaritan by rescuing everyone on board. There were no reported injuries and all those rescued were transported by a NYPD boat to Chelsea Piers.
The boat “caught fire in the waters between West New York and 72nd Street in Manhattan, New York at about 3:30 p.m., Coast Guard Petty Officer Ryan Shultz said.”
“Several emergency service departments responded to the fire, including the Hoboken Fire Department, New York and North Hudson Regional Fire Department, the NYPD and FDNY, and the Coast Guard Station New York.”
CBS News reports that according to the Coast Guard, the boat sank “and the water is now being monitored for pollution.”
The U.S. Fire Administration provides important tips for preventing fires on boats. The site states, “Fires that occur on boats or in marinas can spread quickly and present unique response challenges due to hazardous conditions and limited access.”
In the video interview below, Jay Hodge of North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue described how challenging it was to fight this fire. He reports that most of the fire was “underneath in the sleeping quarters of the boat which makes that difficult to extinguish because, if you’ve ever seen a boat, there’s little portholes.”
He explained that once all passengers are confirmed off the boat, it’s in the interest of safety for the firefighters not to board the boat. It can be challenging, then, to get water where it’s most needed.
The report states it will also be challenging to investigate.
WNBC reporter Jessica Cunnington hails the team effort of cooperating fire departments from both New York and New Jersey as well as the Good Samaritan boater who rescued all aboard, which the Coast Guard confirmed as being 7 individuals.
